Landscape Management, February 2011
THEFT LOCK IT UP In ultra competitive times where razor thin margins are the rule no business can afford additional losses S ome of your equipment is going to get stolen Its just a matter of time Your companys hand tools trimmers edgers mowers skid steers backhoes and even service trucks and equipment trailers theyre all vulnerable Some of our stuff is going to get ripped off hand tools especially We know that and budget for that says Jim Horung Jr president of Elbers Landscape Co Buffalo NY If thieves want to get your stuff theyll nd a way says victim Scot Corley owner of Lawns of Distinction Ocala FL What both companies fear most and guard against are the more costly thefts the job delaying rip offs But thieves can be ingenious both owners agree The economic conditions spawned by the 2008 recession havent helped either In fact more than half 56 of readers responding to a recent Landscape Management survey say theyve experienced an increase in theft the past three years Horung cites the recent theft of equipment including a snow blower from his companys warehouse Someone disabled the buildings alarm and punched through a high boarded up window Besides what they took they forced open and badly damaged a warehouse door in extracting the units he says Corleys losses detailed later in this article were greater and almost put him out of business Everyone interviewed for this report had his or her own theft story Some were relatively minor at least in terms of dollar value others were nancially and emotionally devastating All agreed theft is an ever present possibility and even minor lapses in security open their operations up to the loss of equipment materials and depending upon resulting service disruption customers 17 FEBRUARY 2011 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET PHOTOS BY ISTOCK INTERNTAIONAL INC
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